Derby based Alt-Rock/Grunge band MuddiBrooke release debut EP
MuddiBrooke are an alt-rock/grunge trio from Derby, formed in January 2020 and consist of Brooke (Lead guitar & Vocals), Anna Meladone (Bass & Vocals) and Mary Prince (Drums). They have had some great exposure on mainstream rock radio, including Kerrang and featuring as 'Track of the Week' on BBC Introducing. No strangers to us at LiveWire, we have previously reviewed the singles Devil (October 2020 score 9.0) and Straight Jacket (April 2021 score 9.5). We also recently saw MuddiBrooke live at Derby’s The Venue, in a great show.
Now the band are releasing their debut 5 track EP Lunacy which is out on 22 October 2021 and available on both CD and limited edition 10” vinyl (either signed or unsigned). You can find out more and order a copy HERE.
The EP opens with Devil with great vocals and some great powerful chords. It’s an emotional, powerful, hard and personal track, with a rough edge about mentally abusive relationships “I wish that I could see the future, so I’d know when you’ll get mad. You’re so difficult sometimes, like I’m walking on broken glass”. It starts slowly almost setting the scene, and there’s a wonderful short drum section, that feels like a heartbeat…… getting faster, the anger rising….. It builds, and the track fits the subject matter perfectly with a noisy and aggressive anger to it; a power and a sense of defiance. As you’d expect the lyrics are powerful and emotional with lines such as “Oh no you’re mad again, I wish I’d stayed away” and “It’s time for me to walk away, don’t ask me to stay. ‘Cause when the sun goes down, the Devil comes up to play”.
Next up we have their most recent single Liverpool Guy. With lots of distortion and drive and a fantastic pulsing rhythm to it, the track is all about celebrating your inner party animal and enjoying life’s freedoms to the full, both potentials for new beginnings. It fits the recent pandemic and lockdown so well, as people everywhere have been looking at life, and re-evaluating…… maybe it’s a metaphor for looking at life and asking, post Covid what and who we are. As we come out of isolation, the song looks at our desire to be social animals, experience relationships of different kinds and to simply live out who we really are.
Up next we have Straight Jacket, with it’s pulsing introduction and heavy, almost punk like frenzy. We gave this a score of 9.5 back in April 2021 and it’s style, alternating between calm sections and mania, perfectly reflects the subject matter, living with anxiety. The shortest track at about 2 minutes, again it’s short, but intense nature fits the subject so brilliantly. The excellent load, powerful drumming of Mary is a highlight on this track for me. The verses have a steady fuzzy guitar and pulsing rhythm to them, while the lyrics describe what’s going on giving a real sense of the disorientation the anxiety causes with lines such as “Who are these people, I don’t know where I have come from, and where I might end. People are staring. Thinking the same. Shivering, I’m shaking, I can’t stay tame…. I can’t work out what’s happening to me”.
The tempo slows dramatically for the arrival of Turn to Dust, their debut single. It starts with a clean, mellow acoustic styling, and builds, first with added bass and drums before it switches up to electric guitar and more driven, emotional vocals, lifting the track to another level. With a delightful fuzzy section the vocals take center stage as the track reaches a crescendo.
The final track is Fake It, which we heard first live in September 2021, and it’s a great track to end the EP on and my favorite track. It’s a powerful guitar track with some exceptional vocals (and backing vocals) that builds to the powerful, full on chorus sections. A great sing along rock chorus….. Great stuff. It builds and builds, Anna’s bass doing a great job holding the elements together and some fantastic powerful drumming from Mary with cymbals crashing all around you as it roars to an end.
All in all, it’s a great release for a debut EP. What I love about MuddiBrooke, is how they write about their own experiences, and don’t shy away from some tough subject matters, covering things such as love, anxiety and betrayal. The lyrics are so powerful and descriptive and pull you in to the emotion of the subject matter, and the grunge like, dynamic styling emphasizes the situation even further. But despite some of the difficult subjects covered, fundamentally it’s about learning, growth and moving on. As Brooke put it “By looking at the human condition, from an emotional perspective this gives us permission to move on; to move forward and hopefully never look back.” Wise words indeed.
I LOVE it. The tracks fit together so well, and if you like this kind of thing, it hangs together wonderfully. A worthy 9.0 from LiveWire Music. And as ever here at LiveWire, we live by our reviews, and I’ve ordered my signed copy today :-)
Lunacy is available on CD and limited edition vinyl and all digital platforms from 22nd October 2021.
